Lenovo Close to $3 Billion Deal to Buy Motorola from Google

[cybertec69]

Sorry but this sucks. China is eating up U.S. companies like Pac Man does power pellets, companies are turning blue and loosing their shirts.

If you think about it, is anything made in the US anymore, even Apple and their iPhones and Ipads and Ipods are made in China, Same goes for Microsoft and every other electronics manufacturer, at the end of the day, it is more profitable for these corps, and that's what business is all about.

 

[Scott0719]

Wasn't the Moto X just assembled in the USA? Hopefully at least that can continue.

 

[akhenax]

Wasn't the Moto X just assembled in the USA? Hopefully at least that can continue.

Rumor has it that Lenovo is not making a commitment to the Texas plant.

If you think about it, is anything made in the US anymore, even Apple and their iPhones and Ipads and Ipods are made in China, Same goes for Microsoft and every other electronics manufacturer, at the end of the day, it is more profitable for these corps, and that's what business is all about.

Apple "Made in the USA" Mac Pro Launched | TIME.com

 

[gadgetrants]

Wasn't the Moto X just assembled in the USA? Hopefully at least that can continue.

Excuse my crankiness, but I must be one of the older, more bitter, more cynical members on the forum. When Google/Motorola announced that the Moto X would be made in the US, I was fairly convinced that this had very little to with our GDP, national pride, and need to bolster American jobs, but instead was just your average spin-doctoring and that there was a catch or two in the fine print. Since it's very hard to disprove a conspiracy theory, I stubbornly suspect that EVEN the beautiful pictures of the manufacturing facility were actually driven by PR and marketing strategy. I'm not saying it's one of those "they really DIDN'T land on the moon" fairy tales -- I'm sure the phones are genuinely US-made. I just think that when we have that "good old USA" feeling, that's only a small piece of the business decision-making.

-Matt

 

[jspradling7]

@gadgetrants I agree with what you said. But still, it leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth that GOOGLE bought Moto and deliberately flaunted the assembled in the US complete with proud pics of the facility. Then promptly stripped the company jewels like a fat kid eating the insides of an Oreo cookie and sold the rest to a Chinese company. GOOGLE is in business to make money not friends, I understand that... but jerking my Texas Pride strings and then pulling this stunt stinks and the odr won't go away soon.

I hope, that the folks at Moto can somehow buy themselves back the way Harley Davidson did.

 

[gadgetrants]

@gadgetrants I agree with what you said. But still, it leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth that GOOGLE bought Moto and deliberately flaunted the assembled in the US complete with proud pics of the facility. Then promptly stripped the company jewels like a fat kid eating the insides of an Oreo cookie and sold the rest to a Chinese company. GOOGLE is in business to make money not friends, I understand that... but jerking my Texas Pride strings and then pulling this stunt stinks and the odr won't go away soon.

I hope, that the folks at Moto can somehow buy themselves back the way Harley Davidson did.

I think we're on the same wavelength (DESPITE my being a California native -- LOL) -- I completely agree about the bad taste. It would be cool if a company insider wrote an anonymous expose', which explained the "real" reasoning behind buying MMobility, building a US plant, and then shuttling most of the infrastructure to the first bidder. The theory that it was all about the patents is very compelling.

-Matt

 

[RideZeLitenin]

So, just like that... no more Moto?

Lenovo Droid... yeahh...:blink:

 

[Amagine]

I guess I am one of the few that figured this was coming. Probably I am also one of the few that thinks on the grand scale, this is a good thing for Google and Android as a whole. Personally, I believe that the market is getting over saturated with Android devices, leading to the spread between low end "smart" phones and the feature rich top end flagship phones getting bigger with little signs of an acceptable middle ground. Moto in my opinion has taken a wrong direction as of late in phone design. ALL of moto's phones have begun to look like a Nexus device or a low end device with no real "superphone".
If Lenovo decides to pop out a few Moto Windows phones, I'm fine for that. More competition would mean more innovation and maybe a better quality product all the way around.
Google is keeping the patents, that protects the Android ecosystem as we know it. Google gets the recurring revenue. They get out of the hardware liability. They bought NEST and DEEP MIND recently for the talent. Google is looking to get more into the home with Google Fiber and probably moving toward Smart appliances. I foresee an Android fork for other devices soon. Google likes fostering the next big thing. However, they like to do it in a fashion that doesn't give them a ton of recurring costs and low margins like the hardware business is.

 

[jspradling7]

(DESPITE my being a California native -- LOL)
-Matt

You're just still sore that Enron burned ya. : )

Maybe we'll get a made for TV movie about this... like The Pirates of Silicon Valley!

 

[gadgetrants]

Google is looking to get more into the home with Google Fiber and probably moving toward Smart appliances. I

^^^ This.

I had hoped the Moto X would in a way implement much of the ergonomic "ease" and intelligence of Glass. I was really disappointed when what came out was a "twist 2 times for camera" cell phone. THAT'S IT?!?!?!?!?!?!? But when my expectations came back to reality I discovered it was a wonderful phone. A mere-mortal phone, but still damn good.

I can't say why, but the sale kinda looks like Google has decided not to focus their intelligence on mobile devices -- at least not on cell phones, though it remains to be seen how revolutionary Glass will be -- and instead to focus on home automation. So yeah, I imagine some kind of high-level planning meeting, and they flipped a coin: phones or homes? And homes won. Can't really argue with that.

-Matt

 

[cereal killer]

Food for thought. The USofA has blocked both Huawei and ZTE from importing phones to these shores over security concerns about spying. With Snowden's revelations about the NSAs unscrupulousness. We should even be more leery of China's willingness to exact revenge. Just saying they may get banned here as well.

Sent from my DUM phone using Droid Forums

good point and that has been brought up by Eldar Murtazan. He says

Lenovo isnt private company, Chinese goverment have a part in it. Thats mean that US market/carriers arent open to Lenovo now

But then contradicts himself by saying:

Lenovo will launch one of the last Nexus product volume will be huge and it will be focused on US market.

So which is it......

 

[cereal killer]

So, just like that... no more Moto?

Lenovo Droid... yeahh...:blink:

No the Motorola name will still be used. Now how long they stick with that name is another question, but as it stands now the name will continue

 

[FoxKat]

Yeah, Moto is not making any money (nor were they when Google bought them), so the value of Moto is basically the brand name and the patents (which Google kept). And from the patents Google has been receiving ongoing revenue (in licensing) and will continue to do so.

I would inject into that comment that the value of Moto was also its build quality (yeah, brand name is a part of that), the rock-solid performance of their radios and antennas, and the history (again...this could be wrapped into brand name), but I wish to distinguish the "name" from the "product" and "legendary performance" where it counts the most - as a wha??? - a transceiver (wireless PHONE.) I just don't see the Lenovo brand and company being able to hold onto that. Motorola is synonymous with the Military, Public Service and other mission-critical communications. Heck, their technology could be given (at least partial), credit for winning several wars and other conflicts. Taking the cellular division of that and handing it to the likes of Lenovo...just doesn't feel so American, so Rocky or Rambo anymore.

Furthermore, China is notorious for taking shortcuts, cost-cutting measures in raw materials, parts supplies, manufacturing and testing to improve profitability at the expense of performance and durability. They're the world's "knock-off" manufacturer and in nearly all instances the product is from somewhat to severely inferior to the true branded version. I also am confident there will be similar devaluing of the Motorola product as well.

@gadgetrants I agree with what you said. But still, it leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth that GOOGLE bought Moto and deliberately flaunted the assembled in the US complete with proud pics of the facility. Then promptly stripped the company jewels like a fat kid eating the insides of an Oreo cookie and sold the rest to a Chinese company. GOOGLE is in business to make money not friends, I understand that... but jerking my Texas Pride strings and then pulling this stunt stinks and the odr won't go away soon.

I hope, that the folks at Moto can somehow buy themselves back the way Harley Davidson did.

I agree with you on all points...the biggest being the idea that they could buy themselves back independently. We need more Harley Davidsons here in the US. I get sick every time I hear of another company having their underdrawers stripped of the contents and being forced to buy Rosetta Stone to learn Mandarin. We're losing this country - what's left of it that isn't already owned by China and other far lesser owners. We're losing (or have already lost), our edge. Heck, even Silicon Valley is practically nothing more than a remote office location for mainland China. What we really need is grass roots revival of "good pay for a hard day's work" mentality here in this country. We're all fat under the belt, living way beyond our means and allowing the Chinese (and other below-poverty workers and dictatorship governments), beat us at our own game, work for peanuts and all the while we're oblivious to the long-term and eventual effect. At what point does China call in their note? They don't have to declare war, they only have to declare ownership and foreclose on the note to beat us.

 

[Hodor]

I would inject into that comment that the value of Moto was also its build quality (yeah, brand name is a part of that), the rock-solid performance of their radios and antennas, and the history (again...this could be wrapped into brand name), but I wish to distinguish the "name" from the "product" and "legendary performance" where it counts the most - as a wha??? - a transceiver (wireless PHONE.) I just don't see the Lenovo brand and company being able to hold onto that. Motorola is synonymous with the Military, Public Service and other mission-critical communications. Heck, their technology could be given (at least partial), credit for winning several wars and other conflicts. Taking the cellular division of that and handing it to the likes of Lenovo...just doesn't feel so American, so Rocky or Rambo anymore.

I agree with you on all points...the biggest being the idea that they could buy themselves back independently. We need more Harley Davidsons here in the US. I get sick every time I hear of another company having their underdrawers stripped of the contents and being forced to buy Rosetta Stone to learn Mandarin. We're losing this country - what's left of it that isn't already owned by China and other far lesser owners. We're losing (or have already lost), our edge. Heck, even Silicon Valley is practically nothing more than a remote office location for mainland China. What we really need is grass roots revival of "good pay for a hard day's work" mentality here in this country. We're all fat under the belt, living way beyond our means and allowing the Chinese (and other below-poverty workers and dictatorship governments), beat us at our own game, work for peanuts and all the while we're oblivious to the long-term and eventual effect. At what point does China call in their note? They don't have to declare war, they only have to declare ownership and foreclose on the note to beat us.

It's the Republican way, nothing is sacred as long as you can say you did it to make money, and they know that if China ever calls that note in, they'll just buy their way out of that too, while the average guy will be left to twist in the wind. Might as well start learning Chinese now.

 

[FoxKat]

I would inject into that comment that the value of Moto was also its build quality (yeah, brand name is a part of that), the rock-solid performance of their radios and antennas, and the history (again...this could be wrapped into brand name), but I wish to distinguish the "name" from the "product" and "legendary performance" where it counts the most - as a wha??? - a transceiver (wireless PHONE.) I just don't see the Lenovo brand and company being able to hold onto that. Motorola is synonymous with the Military, Public Service and other mission-critical communications. Heck, their technology could be given (at least partial), credit for winning several wars and other conflicts. Taking the cellular division of that and handing it to the likes of Lenovo...just doesn't feel so American, so Rocky or Rambo anymore.

I agree with you on all points...the biggest being the idea that they could buy themselves back independently. We need more Harley Davidsons here in the US. I get sick every time I hear of another company having their underdrawers stripped of the contents and being forced to buy Rosetta Stone to learn Mandarin. We're losing this country - what's left of it that isn't already owned by China and other far lesser owners. We're losing (or have already lost), our edge. Heck, even Silicon Valley is practically nothing more than a remote office location for mainland China. What we really need is grass roots revival of "good pay for a hard day's work" mentality here in this country. We're all fat under the belt, living way beyond our means and allowing the Chinese (and other below-poverty workers and dictatorship governments), beat us at our own game, work for peanuts and all the while we're oblivious to the long-term and eventual effect. At what point does China call in their note? They don't have to declare war, they only have to declare ownership and foreclose on the note to beat us.

It's the Republican way, nothing is sacred as long as you can say you did it to make money, and they know that if China ever calls that note in, they'll just buy their way out of that too, while the average guy will be left to twist in the wind. Might as well start learning Chinese now.

I would perhaps strip the political part of that comment, but I agree whole-heartedly with every other sentiment. As for them (and let's put ALL irresponsible big business and Government decision-makers into that kiddie pool), buying us out of it...it's our children and grandchildren whose lives will be far worse. We're practically selling them into slavery (only difference is this time, it's not so racially biased), in order to back-fund all this terrible fleecing of America.